A dumbwaiter is one of those features people rarely think about until they have lived with one. Here are the ways homeowners put a home dumbwaiter to work.
1. Garage to kitchen
The most requested route. In a house with a lower-level garage, groceries go into the car at the store and into the dumbwaiter at home, and arrive beside the kitchen counter.
2. Bedrooms to laundry
With the washer and dryer in the basement and the bedrooms upstairs, a dumbwaiter ends the weekly haul of baskets on the stairs.
3. Kitchen to deck or patio
For a deck above a walkout level, a dumbwaiter carries platters, drinks and dishes between the kitchen and the grill.
4. Basement storage
Holiday decorations, bulk purchases and canning jars move between the basement and the main floor without anyone carrying a box down the stairs.
5. Firewood
A load of split wood rides up from the basement or garage to the hearth, with no trail of bark through the house.
6. Home office or workshop
Files, parcels and tools travel between floors, which is handy for anyone running a business from home.
Does your house have room?
A residential dumbwaiter needs a vertical chase about the size of a small closet, with the openings aligned from floor to floor. Good candidates include:
- A pantry above a garage wall
- Stacked hall closets
- The space beside a chimney
- A corner of the laundry room
Design choices
- Car size, based on your largest regular load
- Door style, including doors finished to match your cabinets
- Counter height or floor level loading
- Two stops or three
Not for passengers
A dumbwaiter carries goods only. Door interlocks keep it safe around children.
See what would work in your home
Nationwide Lifts of Missouri and Kansas installs Jeeves dumbwaiters. Call 660-624-2411 for a free in-home assessment.